Over 5 Queen Cells and Brood?!

[MrBeeMan]

Hi everyone,

On Friday 22nd May I looked through a new colony somebody had given to me and it appeared to me that there was a virgin queen. This was because there were a couple of opened queen cells with fresh royal jelly. At this point there was no brood in the hive at all.

However on the 28th May I looked through the hive again. Today there was sealed brood and around 5 or 6 Queen Cells. Every one of them was sealed and had larvae inside. I have removed all of them but I really don't know what has happened or what do?

Any advice would be appreciated.
Many thanks,

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Start looking for a new queen - that one has swarmed and you've destroyed all her replacements

 

[enrico]

The opened ones that you describe were obviously not yet sealed. They are now! I would suggest you remove all but one. If there are still no eggs then you may be queenless but I wouldn't bet on it. Therefore a full artificial swarm is needed.
Oops, missed that you had already removed them. If you have no eggs you need to get a frame from elsewhere. As JBM says. You have sort of blown it!
E

 

[domino]

Panicking and bashing down all the capped queen cells was my first real face-palm moment in beekeeping.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Hi everyone,

On Friday 22nd May .... At this point there was no brood in the hive at all.

So there were eggs and small larvae in the hive on the 22nd.

 

[enrico]

God! How did I miss that.....well done hivemaker!

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Opened queencells and fresh royal jelly?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So there were eggs and small larvae in the hive on the 22nd.

I noticed that - thus brood in the OP's mind is sealed brood not BIAS.
Still think the queen is far away now though.
Which begs the other question - no mention of the queen in either inspection?
I think you really need to get a mentor, or at least some help locally.
Have you done a course? Have you joined your local association? they may be able to help you.

And why did you assume a virgin queen at the first inspection even though there were open QC's?

 

[Eyeman]

My penny's worth.
Most of us fail to manage bees in swarm mode because we don't shake the bees off the combs.
If I don't shake the bees off the comb I'm sure to miss a queen cell or two.

 

[beeno]

My penny's worth.
Most of us fail to manage bees in swarm mode because we don't shake the bees off the combs.
If I don't shake the bees off the comb I'm sure to miss a queen cell or two.

But, even when you do, they sometimes build them inside the comb!

 

[oliver90owner]

But, even when you do, they sometimes build them inside the comb!

Really?! Never seen that. Actually inside? New one on me.

You either need to sort out your beekeeping or sort out the frames/comb in your colonies as it must be a mess.

 

[busybee53]

Shaking off the bees does give a better look at the comb but if you think the colony is Q- one of the queen cells will provide a replacement. So it is not a good idea to shake the "chosen one". The problem is deciding which to choose when all those workers in the way make it hard to see.

 

[sherwood]

Why would anyone want to shake the bees of comb that has fully loaded open qc'S and stand the risk of dislodging the larva in the QCells these are your potential new queens if you dislodge them from their food source you have every chance of making them non viable